Formula 1: The GOAT

“I’m really happy that I watched his docuseries, or else it would make us wonder how long he needs to adjust. But if he is to keep on his unbroken tradition, he will definitely be going on a push lap the moment he finishes going around the track once to learn its characteristics,” Brad said as Fatih drove the car around the track at a moderate pace after leaving the pit lane.

“You mean that a single lap around the track is enough to give him the information he needs to be ready for a push lap?” Justin asked, trying to make the situation as interesting as possible. The more interesting they made Fatih to the new viewers and attendees, the more of them would return for the following race weekends.

Although the F4 championship was not the headliner, but just an accompanying series, it was something that the British F4 organizers emphasized. Thanks to Fatih entering the British F4, the docuseries that usually followed him individually had decided to expand its scope to the entirety of the British F4, albeit with the focus still being on Fatih, but all the other drivers could also appear and widen their publicity once it got out.

“Yes, that is why I’m very curious, as this track is definitely going to be very different from the karting tracks he has gotten used to, or even the grade A circuits that he had experienced when doing his transitional training. This place has a soul, a personality, and even the straights are not entirely straight as they have different elevations and banking, making it a very interesting track, though the same cannot be said for newbies.

And as we are speaking, he is coming out of the final corner and is already back on full throttle. He is going for a push lap as expected. Justin, can you walk us through it?”

“Yes, and it seems like he knows what makes the track different, as he starts the lap in a good position, placing himself in the middle of the track while slowly moving towards the left side to line himself up for the first corner and the critical braking position for it. That is the most optimum route due to the bends on the start-finish straight.

As you reach near the end of the straight, you see the 3, 2, 1 brake markers as the track elevates as if you are going over a crest, making it almost a blind corner. You don’t really know what you are in for until you hit the brakes, which itself is a massive test of confidence as you brake incredibly late, basically braking into the corner as the track curvature is already starting to take you into the right-hander.

It’s quite spooky because normally you are trying to brake in a straight line, but here you have no choice but to brake on the curve, and the turning point is where it says ’exit,’ basically the last chance. You either turn there or you’re into the gravel, then the wall. So let’s see how he does.”

Fatih kept his steering straight, but despite that, the way he had angled the car after the final turn exit naturally slid him towards the left side of the track with just enough angle that he reached the leftmost part of the track at the end of the straight. With his eyes on the brake markers, the moment he saw the second brake marker while already being pushed into the corner due to its angle, he hit the brakes heavily at first, timing his release just as the exit sign approached.

He took the right-hander with a blind entry, only for the track to reveal itself after he started turning. He hit the apex before the car plunged downwards, following the track’s fall in elevation. The track went wide all the way to the outside curbs, making the most of the space as the car compressed under the speed. He kept his foot on the power without fear at all, despite knowing any mistakes meant going into the gravel.

“That would be a textbook entry with a few modifications, but those are things he can adjust as he understands the track. He now experienced the full compression of the car as he shoots out of the corner at full throttle through Hailwood’s Hill. As he passes the bridge, which for many is a braking marker, he brakes hard for the upcoming hairpin.

Gravity helps him as the track once again rises, and he immediately moves to the apex, going against the usual conventional racing theory for normal hairpins, slamming the car over the inside curb as much as he can throughout the corner, making a big commitment before getting back hard on the car. Brilliantly taken corner, bravo, as he did it perfectly and comes out of the corner at very high speeds.”

He kept his foot on the throttle through the slight bend, which is not even counted as a corner, moving to the right side as he waited for the very last moment before once again braking heavily. He then dived into Graham Hill bend very aggressively and hit every curb in his way, making sure he got the maximum momentum on the exit into the Cooper Straight.

“Surtees is where the good drivers get differentiated from the average drivers, and to prove himself to be of the better class, he takes the corner flat out, keeps his foot through McLaren, and moves into the middle of the track in preparation for the final corner. He brakes early before diving into the corner while getting back on power as the rise in elevation helps in keeping the car compressed to the ground.

He hits the apex, exiting onto the final straight, and keeps his foot there bravely, going wide on the exit, keeping it in the middle of the track. Now it is a race on keeping the car stable and his foot on the throttle into the start-finish line.

A 0:47.277, SENDING HIM TO THE TOP OF THE TABLE, THOUGH HE IS THE ONLY ONE ON IT. BUT IT IS ONLY ABOUT EIGHT-TENTHS OFF LAST YEAR’S POLE POSITION TIME, A TIME HE ACHIEVED AFTER ONLY ABOUT TWO MINUTES ON THE TRACK. WOOOW, looks like I will be commenting using a Scottish accent next year, am I?”

“Hahahahaha,” Brad laughed at Justin’s words before he added, “Yes, definitely. You’d better start practicing now if you want anyone to be able to understand what you are talking about, hahahahaha.”

“I can’t really be disappointed if this is just him warming up. It is worth the loss, but let’s see what his teammates put on the timing table, as they are all very good prospects, seeing that Red Bull has called dibs on them.”

F. YILDIRIM 0:47.277

D. HAUGER 0:47.831

A. SIMMONS 0:48.004

K. JEWISS 0:48.109

J. HOGGARD 0:48.562

J. DOOHAN 0:48.823

……

“Although he had been interrupted more than three times from going for a full push by other drivers, he is still at the top of the timing sheet. But the track is just getting faster and faster as it is rubbered in with each lap completed by the drivers, almost guaranteeing that he is going to set a faster time than when the track was green during his first lap,” Justin said as they had a back-and-forth conversation with Brad.

“It is very impressive that all of the Red Bull Academy drivers in Arden Motorsports, or what we might call Red Bull 2, have their lap times in the top six, with two of them locked in the top two positions.

However, it is not time to start counting the eggs, since it’s just the first of the two practice sessions we will have in this race weekend, so trying to read into it and thinking that it is going to be the official standings at the end of the week would be very foolish. And the drivers seem to know that as they are all trying to get in more la…”

But just as he was about to finish, the feed cut to a plume of dust with a car stuck in the gravel. “OHHHHH, FATIH IS OUT AND STUCK IN THE GRAVEL! I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT THAT HAS RESULTED IN FATIH BEING STRANDED IN THE GRAVEL ON THE EXIT OF TURN 1!”

Just as he said that, the replay logo appeared, showing Fatih starting his push lap as he barreled towards Turn 1. But due to the elevation of the track, he wasn’t aware that there was a car moving slowly, completely unaware that a car on a push lap was coming. This forced Fatih, who was only meters away, to veer left, missing the car, before he turned right, aiming to use the curbs.

But the car oversteered as the rear started trying to become the lead side. Fatih reacted nearly instantly and counter-steered, sending the car drifting as he slowly regained control. But the track wasn’t wide enough to give him that much time, as the drifting left tire hit the curb at a weird angle, deforming and ripping it off the rim and removing any semblance of control over the car as it was sent into the gravel.

As the two commentators watched everything happen in slow motion, they all in unison exclaimed, “UUUH… OOOOH… WOWW… AAAAISH… AAAAAAAAAAA,” as their orchestra ended with groans when they saw the tire deform into a blowout, sealing Fatih’s fate.

Ten minutes into the first free practice, Fatih was in the gravel.